Minecraft Snapshot 19w02a Adds Campfires, Lecterns, and More!

As the new year gets up and running, Minecraft developer Mojang has delivered on their promise with the first intriguing snapshot of 2019.

Though short and sweet, this update still provides plenty for the community to get their teeth stuck into, covering a lot of the finer details and bug fixes that were much needed following the release of snapshot 18w50a in December.

Players might find themselves huddled up and eating toasted marshmallows together in the coming weeks now that campfires have made their debut in the latest snapshot. Though rudimentary in their current form, the new item has a heap of potential alongside its current working features.

Campfires can be used as a level nine light source to give surrounding areas a more ambient feel and to (slowly) cook up to four items. However, one of the most innovative features is the new particle effect; activated campfires produce smoke which other players can notice from a distance.

This factor can be toggled with the addition of a hay bale underneath the block, doing so enhances the height that the smoke will reach, meaning that anyone in a 200 block radius can see the signal.

19w02a is out for JAVA!!!! The first snapshot of the new year! :D Players overhyped!!! LOTS OF STUFF IN THIS SNAPSHOT!!!! Campfires, Cartography Table Functions and LECTERN FUNCTIONS!!!! :D (PS – Where are the foxes?!?!) pic.twitter.com/ytrCnsYxlN

The explorer types in the community will be pleased to hear that functions have been added to the cartography table, these blocks can now be used to duplicate and also change the scale of a singular map. Additionally, a locking feature has also been added, this can be used to prevent the alteration of an item. However, it is worth noting that incomplete maps will not record their surroundings when this is active.

Lecterns have also been updated with an innovative Redstone feature, book pages can act as a switch when turned and toggle the activation level of Redstone. Meaning that for each page turned, an equal amount of Redstone covered blocks will be activated, in theory, this means that lecterns could be used as a central control system for a vast array of Redstone contraptions.

Lastly, a team messaging system has been added so that select groups can commune with each other without the need for add-ons, general performance has been improved and several bugs from the previous snapshot have been fixed.

This update is now live for players to check out, stay tuned for additional posts.